Apparatus and related methods for applying dye or other coloring medium to human hair roots

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is ZAP-RTA, a Root Touch up Applicator is a push button operated apparatus that directs and deposits color chemical on to the roots of hair. The process is safe fast and effortless. Its&#39; tapered Parting Pen, parts hair precisely while color is being deposited on to the scalp when the pump button is pressed down and the Blending ball blends the chemical onto the scalp. ZAP-RTA is comprised of a piston pump system, one-way valves, spring, inlet and outlet nozzles. The body contains the reservoir, piston-pump cylinder, 2 one-way valves and inlet and outlet nozzles. The barrel is tapered to help part hair and contains an opening that directs the outflow of hair color downward. Just behind outflow opening is the Blender Ball attached to help blend the color chemical closer to the scalp.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This document claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Prov. Pat. App. Ser. No. 62/389,834 filed Mar. 11, 2016. That document is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO AN APPENDIX SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC AND INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE OF THE MATERIAL ON THE COMPACT DISC

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTOR

Reserved for a later date, if necessary.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of Invention

The disclosed subject matter is in the field of human hair dye applicators. In particular, the subject matter of this document may be an apparatus and related methods for applying dye or other coloring medium to human hair roots.

Background of the Invention

Many humans elect to dye their hair a different color than the hair's natural color. As dyed hair continues to grow, the root becomes conspicuous because it displays the hair's natural color rather than the color of the dye. So, it is often necessary to dye the hair root to the same color as the rest of the hair.

Anyone can dye his or her own hair or visit a salon for professional hair dye applications. Either way, application of hair color or dye to the roots of hair can be very time consuming and tedious. At salons, hair color specialists apply hair color to roots by parting the hair, applying dye or hair color along the seam, and repeating the process over the scalp. This process is two handed and involves using a paintbrush to apply color to the roots one stroke at a time. Similar processes can be done at home. Salons can save time and increase profits with the use of an automated root touch up applicator (ZAP-RTA) that deposits color with just a press of a button which triggers color to be deposited right on the roots.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Until this disclosure, there has never been a simple, automatic apparatus to help with the tedious and time consuming process of coloring roots of hair and (ZAP-RTA) is the first easy to use invention to help in this process. In one embodiment, the automatic apparatus comprises: a main body defined by a shell; a detachable hair coloring reservoir or liquid container removably coupled to the body; a reorientatable brush-tipped nozzle coupled to and extending from the shell of the main body; a button-operated and battery-powered pump situated within the shell of the main body, wherein the button for operating the battery powered pump is on the shell, and wherein the battery for powering the battery powered pump is located within the shell of the main body; an input tube in fluid communication with the pump and the hair coloring reservoir or liquid container; an output tube in fluid communication with the pump and the nozzle; wherein the pump is configured when operated to draw fluid (a) through the input tube from the hair coloring reservoir or fluid container, (b) through the output tube, and (c) out of the brush-tipped nozzle. In one embodiment, the pump need not be battery operated and may instead be pump action, where the button is a piston for a piston pump and depressing the button repeatedly creates a pumping action over the input and output tubes.

In one mode of operation, a color mixture may be poured in through an inlet opening to fill the hair coloring reservoir or liquid container (i.e., a reservoir area). The brush-tipped nozzle or hair-parting pointer may be placed at any part of hair of a human surrounding the human's face and may be used to part said hair neatly. By pushing the pump button, the button compresses causing a pumping action so that the hair coloring flows up to the outlet nozzle and out of the brushed tip. In a preferred embodiment, the inlet and output tubes are coupled to the pump via a one-way valve so that hair coloring does not move from the nozzle into the hair coloring reservoir or fluid containers. Suitably, such valves may be located between the reservoir and pump and between the pump and nozzle. In some embodiments, the one-way valves are tinny rubber balls that rest inside a seal, where the balls are spring loaded and when the button is pressed the valve located in the out flow valve moves to an open position where the valve located in the reservoir is pushed shut ensuring the chemical to flow in one direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objectives of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the invention has been shown and described. The manner in which these objectives and other desirable characteristics can be obtained is explained in the following description and attached figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus 1000 for applying dye or other coloring medium to human hair roots;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the apparatus 1000 for applying dye or other coloring medium to human hair roots;

FIG. 3 is an x-ray perspective view of the apparatus 1000 for applying dye or other coloring medium to human hair roots;

FIG. 4 is an x-ray left-side view of the apparatus 1000 for applying dye or other coloring medium to human hair roots;

FIG. 5 is an x-ray rear view of the apparatus 1000 for applying dye or other coloring medium to human hair roots;

FIG. 6 is an x-ray right side view of the apparatus 1000 for applying dye or other coloring medium to human hair roots; and,

FIG. 7 is an x-ray environmental view of the apparatus 1000 for applying dye or other coloring medium to human hair roots.

In the figure, the below listed components are denoted by the counterpart reference numerals:

-   Brush—1 -   Brush fixer—2 -   Nozzle—3 -   Bump—4 -   Folding Unit Back Shell—5 -   Seal Ring #1—6 -   Sear Ring #2—7 -   Output Connector—8 -   Folding Unit Upper Shell—9 -   Wearproof cap—10 -   Folding unit Fixer—11 -   Unit Upper Shell—12 -   Rechargeable Battery—13 -   PCB—14 -   Pump—15 -   Button—16 -   Light Transmitting Ring—17 -   Unit Back Shell—18 -   Seal Ring #3—19 -   Input Connector—20 -   Gilded Ring—21 -   USB-PCB—22 -   Liquid Container Connector—23 -   Seal Ring #4—24 -   Seal Ring #5—25 -   Liquid Container—26 -   Hair coloring input tube—27 -   Hair coloring output tube—28

It is to be noted, however, that the appended figures illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments that will be appreciated by those reasonably skilled in the relevant arts. Also, figures are not necessarily made to scale but are representative.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Disclosed is a simple and automatic apparatus to help with the tedious and time consuming process of coloring roots of hair. In one embodiment, the automatic apparatus comprises: a main body; a detachable liquid container removably coupled to the main body; a reorientatable brush-tipped nozzle coupled to and extending from the shell of the main body; a button-operated and battery-powered pump situated within the shell of the main body for moving hair dye via tubing from the liquid container out of the brush-tip of the nozzle. The more detailed description of the disclosed apparatus is provided below in connection with FIGS. 1 through 7.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus 1000 for applying dye or other coloring medium to human hair roots. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the apparatus 1000 for applying dye or other coloring medium to human hair roots. As shown in these figures, the apparatus 1000 comprises: a main body defined by a shell, where the shell is defined by an upper shell 12 and a back shell 18; a gilded ring 21 with a liquid container connector 23 for removably coupling a detachable hair coloring reservoir or liquid container 26 to the body (upper shell 12 and back shell 18); a reorientatable brush-tipped 1 nozzle 3 coupled to and extending from the upper shell 12 of the main body, where the brush-tipped nozzle 1 includes a brush fixer 2, a nozzle 3, a folding or pivoting unit (back shell 5, front shell 9), where the nozzle 3 is coupled to the brush fixer 2 via a bump 4, and where the pivoting unit (back shell 5, front shell 9) are pivotally coupled to the front shell 12 of the main body; a button-operated and battery-powered pump 15 situated within the shell (front shell 12, back shell 18) of the main body, wherein the button 16 for operating the battery powered pump 15 is on the back shell 18, and wherein the rechargeable battery 13 for powering the battery powered pump 15 is located within the shell 12/18 of the main body; an input tube 27 (not shown until later figures) in fluid communication with the pump 15 and the hair coloring reservoir or liquid container 26; an output tube 28 (not shown until later figures) in fluid communication with the pump 15 and the nozzle 3; wherein the pump 15 is configured when operated to draw fluid (a) through the input tube 27 (not shown until the later figures) from the hair coloring reservoir or fluid container 26, (b) through the output tube 28 (not shown until the later figures), and (c) out of the brush-tipped 2 nozzle 3. In one embodiment, the pump is an electrical or battery operated φ27*69.5 pump, but the pump need not be battery operated and may instead be pump action, where the button 16 is a piston for a piston pump and depressing the button 16 repeatedly creates a pumping action over the input and output tubes.

Still referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, fluid communication from container 26, the input tube 27 (not shown until later figures), the pump 15, the output tube 28 (not shown until the later figures), the nozzle 3, and brush 1 may suitably be accomplished as follows: first, the brush 1 may be coupled to the brush holder 2; second, the brush holder 2 may be coupled to the nozzle 3 via the bump 4; third, the nozzle 3 may be coupled to the folding unit 5/9 via threads an a seal ring #1 6 so that the connection may be substantially fluid tight; fourth, the folding unit 5/9 may be coupled to an output connector 8 via a seal ring #2 so that the connection may be substantially fluid tight; fifth, the output tube 28 (not shown) may be coupled to output connector 8 with a wearproof cap so that the connection does not degrade overtime; sixth, the output tube 28 (not shown until later figures) may be coupled to the output of the pump 15; seventh, the input of the pump 15 may be coupled to the input connector 20 with a seal ring #3 19 so that the connection is substantially fluid tight; eighth, the input tube 27 (not shown until later figures) may be coupled to the input connector 20; ninth, the input tube 27 (not shown until the later figures) may be passed through a seal ring #4 24 of the container connector 23 and into the container 26; finally, the container 26 may feature a seal ring #5 so that the coupling of the container to the shell 12/18 is substantially fluid tight.

Still referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, electrical communication from the USB charging port 22 plus printed circuit board (PCB) 22, to the battery 23, the pump 15, lighting ring 17, and button 16 may be accomplished as follows: first, the USB charging port and PCB 22 may be provided into the gilded ring 21; second, the battery 13 may be electrically coupled to the USB charging port and PCB 22; third, the battery may be electrically coupled to the printed circuit board (PCB) 14 of the apparatus 1000; the pump 15 and button 16 may be electrically coupled to the PCB 14 so that depression of the button 16 initiates or terminates operation of the pump 15; finally, the lighting ring 17 to indicate may be electrically coupled to the PCB 14.

The parts list may be as follows:

-   1 count silicone brush—1 -   1 count polypropylene brush fixer—2 -   1 count Acrylonitril Butadiene Styrene (ABS) nozzle—3 -   1 count ABS bump—4 -   1 count ABS folding unit back shell—5 -   1 count silicone fifty-five degree seal ring #1—6 -   1 count silicone fifty-five degree seal ring #2—7 -   1 count ABS output connector—8 -   1 count ABS folding unit upper shell—9 -   1 count 303 stainless steel wearproof cap—10 -   1 count Polyoxymethylene folding unit fixer—11 -   1 count ABS unit upper shell—12 -   1 count 18650 li-ion rechargeable battery—13 -   1 count PCB—14 -   1 count φ27*69.5 Pump—15 -   1 count ABS button—16 -   1 count Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) light transmitting ring—17 -   1 count ABS unit back shell—18 -   1 count silicone sixty degree seal ring #3—19 -   1 count ABS input connector—20 -   1 count ABS chroming gilded ring—21 -   1 count USB-PCB—22 -   1 count ABS liquid container connector—23 -   1 count silicone sixty degree seal ring #4—24 -   1 count silicone sixty degree seal ring #5—25 -   1 count high density polyethylene (HDPE) Liquid Container—26 -   1 count standard tubing hair coloring input tube—27 -   1 count standard tubing hair coloring output tube—28

FIG. 3 is an x-ray perspective view of the apparatus 1000 for applying dye or other coloring medium to human hair roots. FIG. 4 is an x-ray left-side view of the apparatus 1000 for applying dye or other coloring medium to human hair roots. FIG. 5 is an x-ray rear view of the apparatus 1000 for applying dye or other coloring medium to human hair roots. FIG. 6 is an x-ray right side view of the apparatus 1000 for applying dye or other coloring medium to human hair roots. FIG. 7 is an x-ray environmental view of the apparatus 1000 for applying dye or other coloring medium to human hair roots. These figures illustrate use or operation of the disclosed apparatus 1000.

Referring to FIGS. 3 through 7, in one mode of operation, a color mixture may be poured in through an inlet opening of the container 26 to fill the hair coloring reservoir 26 or liquid container (i.e., a reservoir area). The brush-tipped 1 nozzle 3 or hair-parting pointer may be placed at any part of hair of a human surrounding the human's face and may be used to part said hair neatly. By pushing the pump button 16, the button compresses causing a pumping action so that the hair coloring flows up to the outlet nozzle and out the brushed tip 2. In a preferred embodiment, the inlet and output tubes are coupled to the pump 15 via a one way valve (not shown) so that hair coloring does not move from the nozzle into the hair coloring reservoir or fluid containers. Suitably, such valves may be located between the reservoir and pump and between pump and nozzle. In some embodiments, the one-way valves are tinny rubber balls that rest inside a seal, where the balls are spring loaded and when the button is pressed the valve located in the our flow valve moves to open position where the valve located in the reservoir is pushed shut ensuring the chemical to flow one direction.

Although the method and apparatus is described above in terms of various exemplary embodiments and implementations, it should be understood that the various features, aspects and functionality described in one or more of the individual embodiments are not limited in their applicability to the particular embodiment with which they are described, but instead might be applied, alone or in various combinations, to one or more of the other embodiments of the disclosed method and apparatus, whether or not such embodiments are described and whether or not such features are presented as being a part of a described embodiment. Thus the breadth and scope of the claimed invention should not be limited by any of the above-described embodiments.

Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open-ended as opposed to limiting. As examples of the foregoing: the term “including” should be read as meaning “including, without limitation” or the like, the term “example” is used to provide exemplary instances of the item in discussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof, the terms “a” or “an” should be read as meaning “at least one,” “one or more,” or the like, and adjectives such as “conventional,” “traditional,” “normal,” “standard,” “known” and terms of similar meaning should not be construed as limiting the item described to a given time period or to an item available as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompass conventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that might be available or known now or at any time in the future. Likewise, where this document refers to technologies that would be apparent or known to one of ordinary skill in the art, such technologies encompass those apparent or known to the skilled artisan now or at any time in the future.

The presence of broadening words and phrases such as “one or more,” “at least,” “but not limited to” or other like phrases in some instances shall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or required in instances where such broadening phrases might be absent. The use of the term “assembly” does not imply that the components or functionality described or claimed as part of the module are all configured in a common package. Indeed, any or all of the various components of a module, whether control logic or other components, might be combined in a single package or separately maintained and might further be distributed across multiple locations.

Additionally, the various embodiments set forth herein are described in terms of exemplary block diagrams, flow charts and other illustrations. As will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this document, the illustrated embodiments and their various alternatives might be implemented without confinement to the illustrated examples. For example, block diagrams and their accompanying description should not be construed as mandating a particular architecture or configuration.

All original claims submitted with this specification are incorporated by reference in their entirety as if fully set forth herein. 

I claim:
 1. An apparatus for applying dye or other coloring medium to human hair roots, where said apparatus comprises: a main body defined by a shell; a detachable hair coloring reservoir or liquid container removably coupled to the body; a reorientatable brush-tipped nozzle coupled to and extending from the shell of the main body; a button-operated and battery-powered pump situated within the shell of the main body, wherein the button for operating the battery powered pump is on the shell, and wherein the battery for powering the battery powered pump is located within the shell of the main body; an input tube in fluid communication with the pump and the hair coloring reservoir or liquid container; an output tube in fluid communication with the pump and the nozzle; wherein the pump is configured when operated to draw fluid (a) through the input tube from the hair coloring reservoir or fluid container, (b) through the output tube, and (c) out of the brush-tipped nozzle. 